Chance the Rapper is a 21-year-old phenom with two mixtapes to his name and a third due in 2015. The Chicago rapper has not only caught on with the youth, but also drawn the attention of hip-hop's legends.
GQ reported Thursday that Chance's new album would feature fellow young guns Frank Ocean and J. Cole, as well as the venerable Andre 3000 of Outkast.
The magazine later changed its tune, saying that it could not confirm that all three artists would be on the album in question, but could confirm that all three have worked with Chance in the studio.
Here's the original report from GQ (via Hot New Hip Hop): His subsequent guest appearances-nasally breathless, startlingly precocious-gained the attention of artists like Frank Ocean, J. Cole, and André 3000, all of whom will appear on his yet to be named debut LP.
Here's what we know about Chance for sure: He takes his live show very seriously. He has a backing band, The Social Experiment, a collective that he calls "peaceful and positive extension of a real, grungy aesthetic." They support him on the road, and help throw a brick through the typical rapper/DJ live setup.
"The musical-theater aspect of the show that we want to do is a lot about exclusivity," he told GQ. "I think creating a space that you can only see in the moment is really important. I like the fact that some of your favorite Broadway musicals are not made into movies."
When asked about the things he hates, he offered up a light-hearted answer.
"Idle conversation," he said. "All the deadly sins. I'm really not trying to sound poetic, but I feel like that's a really poetic question."
Here's his latest single "I Am Very Very Lonely":
